TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Speakers]

I like the jazzy chords at the beginning and the ghostly atmosphere at :17. The beat sounds nice and crisp at :17, and the sound design is really enjoyable. The melodic content at :50 is beautiful. I think there may be a tad too much reverb in texture, and there’s also a bit of atonality here and there. That said, the mastering quality is really good. The mix is loud and clean (despite the excess reverb), and the texture sounds quite well-balanced. I also liked the structural variety you incorporated, starting with the short breakdown at 2:24. I really like how the energy picks back up towards the end with the string solo at 3:12. Texture is really full, but still sharp and punchy with the drums. Overall, this is a really admirable piece with some really cool sound design and melodic content. The violin sounds a little inauthentic in its higher range, but that’s certainly my only complaint about the sound design. Composition and production are strong as well. Keep up the good work, Spectronoid97!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10

spectronoid97 responds:

HEY MAN! Thanks for your review, I greatly appreciate it!!
Yeah, mixing is one of my main enemies when it comes to music making, because my computer can't handle a lot of things happening at the same time or my CPU starts bitching, but I try my best hahaha. And also the violin part sounds a little too computerish because I don't own any VSTs or libraries for orchestral instruments (or anything at all really hahaha). But thank you so much for letting me on the next round of the competition! I'll outdo myself, at least I hope I do. xD

[Heroic Duel v.3]

I like the apprehensive mood at the beginning and the build-up into :27. The quality of the instruments is not great (they sound really inauthentic), but they suit the cinematic style of the piece well. There’s some cool melodic content in this piece, especially towards the end (2:19 and on). For the most part, though, the composition has a lot of transitory content without many cathartic sections to resolve the climaxes. I think that’s my main compositional complaint with the piece. As for the production, I think the mix relies excessively on panning (equalization and compression are usually second to none in any well-balanced mix), but overall things sound clean and distinct. Overall, fun piece. I love the cinematic vibe here! Keep at it, Spcialist. :)

7.75/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[Drowning in thought]

The clicks and ambient noise at the very beginning sound a tad harsh, and the moving notes at :20 come in rather suddenly. I like the sound design during the harmonic part a lot, though. I think the drums sounded a tad dry until 1:01, when they sounded almost too wet. There’s very little harmonic progression until the (also sudden) transition at 1:22. I like the more tranquil re-entry of the guitar-like instrument at 1:42. The mood and atmosphere of the piece are probably my favorite elements of the piece. That said, I think the texture needed a bit more fill for much of the piece and the transitions need some serious work to smooth them over. The production is pretty strong, though. The excessive reverb doesn’t compromise the quality of the mix noticeably, and overall everything was pretty well-balanced. The rhythmic content in the percussion is really creative towards the end, but the piece cuts off very suddenly. I’m really torn about this piece, because the emotion and atmosphere are totally there and the production is solid, but there are a lot of weak compositional elements that detract from my enjoyment of it. Overall, you’re clearly a talented producer. I just think the piece needs a bit more work on the transitions, textural fill, and phrasing. Keep at it, SentientZero!

7.25/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10

Mel responds:

Thanks lol I put the crackles and abrupt transitions purposely. I made this on my phone and I wanted it to have sort of a weird vibe. Almost like making a huge decision. Thanks for everything

[Subliminal Connections]

I like the sub-bass and tranquil eastern-sounding instrument at the beginning. The panning on the instrument at :08 was a little strong for my tastes, especially since there’s relatively little else going on in the texture. I really like the atmosphere from around :45 on, though. The drums are strong, and the reverb, while a bit excessive, doesn’t appear to detract from the mix too much. The sound design and progression are a bit experimental at times, but I like the subtle elements of atonality you snuck in there at places, like 2:03. That said, there isn’t much melodic content here (until around 4:50), which is probably one of my big complaints. There are large sections of this piece that sound quite minimalistic, although there’s a great ebb and flow to the texture. The piece ends rather abruptly, but I really like the extended high-energy section during the last minute or so, lengthy though it was. Overall, I’d say that if this piece was mixed and mastered in mono (i.e., without so much heavy panning) and there was a tad more harmonic depth at times, it’d be a 5-star track. The sound design (while a bit generic at times) was really fun, and the atmosphere of the piece is just gorgeous. Keep up the good work, Primallightmusic!

8.25/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

[Bolero of the Hero]

I like the serene mood at the beginning. The instrumentation fits the thematic content very well, but sounds very inauthentic. The mixing is also pretty quiet. I’d suggest adding some compression and volume level adjustment to help create a thicker and fuller texture of sound. The melodic content here is really nice, and the harmonic progression of the piece is quite pleasing. The energy of the piece sounds pretty uniform throughout, though. I’d suggest adding some dynamic contrast, phrasing, and automation to give the composition a little more ebb and flow over time. That’ll help keep the piece more engaging for your listener. I also think you could’ve done a bit more with the percussion. Right now, it’s used very sparsely, but it has the potential to give the piece a lot more energy and drive where appropriate. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of harmony and progression. That said, some of the compositional elements here could use a little more fleshing out to maximize the emotional qualities of the piece, and the mixing also needs work. Keep at it, PomicStone!

7/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7/10

PomicStone responds:

Thank you for your review!

[Crystalia - Volkhiar's garden]

I like the somewhat dark mood at the beginning. The sound design is good overall, but that piano instrument sounds a lot like FL Keys, which is a pretty generic plugin. I like the harmonies at :19 a lot. I would’ve liked to see the drums come in earlier, though - I think they would’ve helped make that transition at :19 a little less abrupt. The mix was pretty loud and clear as well. The breakdown at 1:15 was nice, too. This piece is very melodic, which I think is one of its strongest attributes (besides the mood). I would’ve liked to see a bit more variation on the main theme the second time around (1:54). Otherwise, the directionality of the piece feels a bit limited. The composition could also use a little more shape and phrasing within sections. Overall, though, this is really strong work. It loops well, has fun instrumentation and good structuring, and I can clearly tell you have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. Keep it up, Palicraft!

8.5/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.5/10

[Humanity]

I like the arpeggiated synth at the beginning. The lead sounds a little harsh and unpolished, but I like the videogame-like character and the melodic content at :29. The progression was very slow after a while. I think introducing the drums earlier would’ve really helped drive the piece forward more. Harmonically speaking, however, this piece isn’t very well-varied, and the transition at 1:58 was really abrupt. Most of the variety in this piece comes from you adding and subtracting instruments over time. I’d encourage you to try more advanced ways of creating variety, like automation, dynamic contrast, and phrasing. That’ll help give your composition a little more ebb and flow over time. Right now, it has a drone-like quality because the underlying harmonic framework never changes. The mixing wasn’t bad, but I think the drums could be cleaned up a bit. You might want to eliminate some reverb and add more compression. Overall, you clearly have a good sense of rhythm and harmony. The composition was just a bit weak here. Keep at it, Packtion!

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
6.5/10

[Replay]

I like the quirky, distorted instruments at the beginning and the energy. The drums don’t sit very well in the mix, though, and there’s a bit of atonality with the transition at :10 (and other places). I think you overused the reverb here, too. The vocal samples at :40 are fun, and the heavy breaks are pretty catchy. The drop really highlights the mixing problems, though. The drums get pretty distorted at around 1:05, and a lot of the other instruments could sound more distinct without all this reverb in the texture. The mix is loud, just not clear. The piece is well-structured and smooth-flowing, though. I like all the risers and melodic transitions, and even the stop-start one at 2:17 works well. You overuse the transition at :10, though. I appreciated how the second drop was so dissimilar from the first. I think you needed more of a proper outro, though. Ending a piece right after the drop is a bit jarring. There also isn’t a ton of prominent melodic content in this piece. Fun riffs, sure. But a lot of the moving notes here are too transitory to function as proper melodies. Overall, I think my biggest concern is the sloppy mastering and maybe the lack of strong melodic content. I enjoyed the sound design, energy, and progression, though. Keep at it, Packman3!

7.75/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.75/10

[The Chase]

I like the drama at the beginning and the instrumentation. This is just what I would’ve thought I piece called “The Chase” would sound like. :) The progression is a little slow at first, but I like the percussion and brass’s role in driving the piece forward. The piece has a pretty good sense of climax as the melodic content goes on until 1:45, but I think you could’ve done more to maximize the dynamic range of the piece. Despite the continuous sense of urgency the piece instills, there’s a fair amount of ebb and flow to the composition, which I like. I also like how you saved the most climactic part for last (2:31 on). That choice fits the thematic content well. The instruments sound rather authentic for the most part. I’m thoroughly enjoying the rich texture, and the mix is quite clear throughout (if not that loud). Overall, very strong work here. The flavor and passion of the piece are great. Keep up the good work, Omson!

9.25/10

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9.25/10